Minnesota Court Orders Hearing on PolyMet Permit

Created: June 25, 2019 02:00 PM

HOYT LAKES, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ordered a hearing on alleged irregularities in how Minnesota regulators dealt with federal regulators over a water pollution permit for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota.

The appeals court on Tuesday ordered a lower court to hold an evidentiary hearing as soon as practical.

The court must review evidence from a leaked email sent by a top official at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to her counterparts at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asking them not to file written comments on PolyMet's permit during the public comment period. Critics say that kept federal regulators' criticisms off the public record.

The court said in its order that there is "substantial evidence of procedural irregularities" that needs to be examined.